Ramblings Blog

“Mr. Smith, can you be a counselor for XYZ merit badge?” We’ve all heard questions like that, and we’ve all wanted to say – or actually did say – yes. Unless the topic is very specialized, such as nuclear medicine or truck transportation or scuba diving, Scouters are usually willing to help out: “Personal Fitness? Sure. I once belonged to a gym.” “Citizenship in the Nation. No problem. I voted back in … let...[More]

(Republished with permission of ScouterMom http://www.scoutermom.com/113/picaria-native-american-game/)I’m still looking for Native American games for next month’s Bear den meeting. I came across Picaria. It looks pretty simple. It seems like a cross between tic-tac-toe and checkers. The board is pictured on the right. A printable version of the board is includes with the instructions, but it is simple enough that the scouts can draw their own. They can even color it or decorate it with Native...[More]

This is the sixth book of this twelve part series, written by Maj. Archibald Lee Fletcher.Boy Scouts Pathfinders puts us back in touch, for a final time, with the boys of the Beaver Patrol of Beverly, Indiana, a small Midwestern town. By now, readers are familiar with the individual members of the patrol. By this time in the series, though, enough new recruits joined them to fill out a second patrol, including some of the...[More]

Hello All,Ptsteve again, well we are now into Spring and in most parts of the States the ice has come off the water. It is time to let the Cub Scouts outside again when you can.Are you planning outdoors Pack Meetings? What are you doing in your Pack for the Spring and early Spring?Well, look forward to hear from you all and have a great Spring!!YIS, ptsteve...[More]

This post was written by Gary Holewinski We had our district Pinewood Derby a few weeks ago. Overall it went very well. Two conversations really stick with me.1. I was talking with a committee member from a troop in our district. They have been working towards getting their troop to be more boy led (and it's working). He said the only time they have issues is when the adults get too involved. Things like not...[More]

In the fifth book of this twelve part series, written by Maj. Archibald Lee Fletcher, finds the boys of the Beaver Patrol of Beverly, Indiana, as they continue to build and grow their patrol. These boys, living shortly after the turn of the 20th century, decide to form their own fledgling Boy Scout troop – the first in their area. It is the dawn of the scouting movement in America. The boys have to overcome...[More]

Hello All,Well as you might know or not know I have also taken on the job of Committee Chair for my Pack, along with being a Webelos Den Leader and Cub Scout Roundtable Commissioner. No can't take on any more primary positions.Have a new Cubmaster who is doing a great job and before we took over from the old management team we talked about what I took care of and what he took care of...[More]

Cake in an Orange Half6 large oranges 1 package of white cake mixCut the six oranges in half, and take out the oranges pieces and refrigerate them for another use. Prepare cake mix according to package instructions (or make your own home made cake from scratch). Pour the batter into the orange halves, put them back together and wrap in tin foil. Ff camping, bake in coals for 20-25 minutes or bake in oven at...[More]

For those of you who did not see them, back in 2009, check my original review of Garrett's first Scout movie “Scout Camp The Movie” and my first interview of Garrett.Thanks Garret for taking some time to talk to me again as I hear you have new adventures on the horizon.So you already made a movie based on Scouting called “Scout Camp The Movie”. Can you tell me a bit about what it was like...[More]

In the fourth book of this twelve part series, written by Maj. Archibald Lee Fletcher, brings back as protagonists the boys of the Beaver Patrol of Beverly, Indiana, a small Midwestern town. In this adventure, the scouts have entered a contest, sponsored by a local attorney. The challenge is to hike “a distance of just an even hundred miles, between sunrise of four days.” By now, readers familiar with the exploits of the Beaver...[More]